Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Secret of Pensilon's Fall
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King Gares cut straight to the heart of the matter.
“Do you know why the Pensilon Empire fell?”
“They tried a reckless expedition to the New Continent, which sparked civil war.”
“That’s the official story. But the real root cause was explosive population growth.”
King Gares gave the same explanation as King Pharain.
His approach, however, was completely different.
“To solve it, Pensilon began researching magic.”
“Magic…!?”
“For example, magic that easily creates water would make effective farming possible even in arid regions. Or magic that accelerates plant growth could maximize crop yields.”
It was a story I’d never heard before.
King Pharain had only said they’d started pointless wars to cull the population. But they’d tried other solutions too.
“The problem boils down to magic existing at all. Since one kind of magic was in use, they figured others must exist too.”
“That makes sense.”
I was convinced other magic existed as well. The idea of developing it rang true.
“Exactly. So the sense of betrayal when it failed was immense.”
“Ah….”
“They’d been at it for over fifty years by the time I was born, and they hadn’t developed a single spell. That split Pensilon into two factions: the moderates who wanted to keep going, and the hardliners who wanted to scrap it and go the opposite way. The emperor was exhausted. With the public clamor growing and no results, he couldn’t justify it anymore. So he sided with the hardliners.”
What the hardliners did next:
They branded magic as heresy and tried to exterminate its users.
“Why did they do that?”
“As I said, they wanted the opposite approach. They claimed magic’s existence was holding humanity back.”
It hit me like a hammer to the head.
“That’s why…!”
In other words:
Healing magic that fixed even the gravest wounds in seconds. Lighting magic that illuminated the night far better than candles.
These two spells were blocking scientific progress.
Scientific advancement is driven by necessity.
Healing magic made medical research pointless. Lighting magic dulled the thirst for better light sources.
“Exactly. So the hardliners sought to eradicate magic entirely. By eliminating the magic left by the gods, they aimed to end the age of gods and truly begin human history.”
“How could they….”
“That’s when the moderates made their move, talking about discovering the New Continent.”
Now I understood. Why they’d sought the New Continent.
“To find more magic.”
“Right. There might be other spells there. Finding one could break the deadlock in research. It was a gamble. But the hardliners weren’t about to let that happen. They used it as an excuse to start a civil war, then tried to wipe out the magic-using priests in the chaos. The uproar destroyed the empire, leading to this situation.”
“Did the expedition… set out?”
“No idea. It was total chaos. But with no word all this time, they probably never left. Or if they did, they drifted at sea and died.”
The hidden tale of Pensilon’s fall.
It was a clash between magic and science.
“Why tell me this?”
“I told you. You’re already caught in the vortex of fate. Here, take this.”
King Gares handed me the book he’d fetched earlier.
“This copies the core of the moderates’ magic research. They entrusted it to me.”
“Why give it to me….”
“You have to complete it.”
There was no point denying it anymore. King Gares had decided I was Pensilon royalty and was speaking accordingly. Regardless of what I thought, this was my fate.
“This is just one part. The moderates left four books total. Before the fall, they distributed them to key nobles like me. They feared entrusting everything to one person might lead to its loss. Those key nobles? The kings who founded today’s kingdoms. You get what that means?”
“…”
In other words, the other three books were in other nations.
Considering King Pharain never mentioned magic, Crossing was out.
Madon’s king was a merchant, not a noble, so exclude Madon. That left Svenner, Byullang, Ballast, Albad, Europhe, Bekavia, Tunkai. Three of them held the magic research books.
“Gather them and fulfill the wish. Fight the torrent of fate coming for you!”
The torrent of fate. Now I knew what it was.
Arios Almain (Cassius Lloyd), son of Euphemia Almain, hardliner supporter of science.
Als Almain (Als Ilrain), son of Lizna Almain, moderate supporter of magic.
Their clash.
“So this is the game’s core storyline!”
It all made sense now.
Gods vs. humans, magic vs. science. A battle deciding humanity’s future.
That was Athena War Tales’ main plot.
“I was the villain after all.”
There was a slim chance it could go the other way, but the protagonist is the protagonist.
Unless he was fake, Cassius was clearly Pensilon royalty too.
*
*
*
Back at the party, I sorted my tangled thoughts.
“The west and protagonist back science. Conquering the continent, they’ll probably wipe out all magic.”
And me?
My position was ambiguous.
Even as a moderate, I had no burning desire for magic’s revival. I actually thought science needed to advance.
No telling if more magic could even be developed. Science was essential to keep up with population growth.
“If I had to pick, maintain existing magic while advancing science.”
Magic’s power was too great to abandon. Lighting magic would fade with electricity’s invention, but healing magic wouldn’t.
This world’s healing magic made modern surgery look like trash.
For medicine, focus on pharmacology for diseases while keeping healing magic.
“There might be room to compromise with the protagonist. But…”
I decided against idealistic scenarios. No knowing what he’d think.
The protagonist was a tentative enemy. That’s how I’d treat him.
“Lord Ilrain?”
“Oh, sorry. Just thinking.”
Linette’s voice snapped me out of it.
“The appointment ceremony’s about to start. Exciting, right? Who’ll be the new general?”
“It’s a done deal.”
Altiore Salleon and Casper Milias, according to Duke Helian.
Sure enough, Helian had them standing close by as he prepared to read the appointments.
But then.
“Regnat, let me do it.”
“Your Majesty! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Just a dizzy spell.”
Taking the scroll from Duke Helian, Gares took a deep breath and cleared his throat. Shaking off his frail old man image, he bellowed sternly.
“We’ve suffered loss after loss in recent wars. Dunhan Grimwood, Delbadova Rguin. Both were generals any nation would be proud of! Their deaths will grieve us forever. But we can’t just weep. Conflicts rage everywhere, and our neighbors eye us hungrily! We must step over their bodies and march forward! That’s the spirit of the Kalliper Kingdom!”
It was the charisma of a man thirty years younger. Helian and Gilbert blinked in shock; even Altiore Salleon stared blankly.
“Woooah!”
The partygoers roared in excitement. The king grinned and read the scroll.
“Altiore Salleon!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Dunhan was your adjutant. He succeeded you as general. It may not fit perfectly, but I want to say you succeed him now. Follow in Dunhan’s footsteps! Punish those who would humiliate Kalliper!”
“I accept the honor!”
The return of former Grand General Altiore. Salleon faction nobles cheered wildly.
Assuming the second general was also Salleon-aligned, their joy doubled.
But the king tossed the scroll aside like it was worthless and called my name.
“Als Ilrain!”
Silence fell over the party.
I stood stunned. Then, as if prearranged, guards approached and led me to the king.
Gares looked down at me with a smile.
“Delbadova’s men said he favored you.”
“…”
“Succeed him. Als Ilrain, I appoint you Second General, with independent operational authority as a direct royal command general!”
“What…!?”
Murmurs erupted uncontrollably.
The commotion showed no sign of dying down.
*
*
*
After the ceremony, Gares staggered out of the party, strength drained.
“Your Majesty!”
“I’m fine. Just used up some energy after so long. Let’s head to my room.”
“Yes!”
But someone rushed over: Duke Helian.
“Your Majesty, a moment?”
“Very well. In my room.”
Once there, Gares lay on the bed. Helian checked him with permission.
“You have a fever.”
“Blood boiling, I suppose. Been a while since I felt this.”
“…What was the point of that?”
“Appointing Ilrain?”
“Yes. He’s promising, but a direct royal general with operational authority?”
Direct royal generals were nominal, but with independent ops authority, they wielded near-absolute power.
In military matters, they rivaled the king.
Delbadova, the previous one, had no such authority and was a figurehead.
Helian knew Als had met secretly with the king.
He had no choice but to suspect.
‘That Wade bastard. What did he tell the king?’
Als as general wasn’t bad for him, but ops authority was too much. He’d try to dissuade the king if needed.
Gares spoke.
“Regnat. The Ilrain family he belongs to is connected to you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then support him and his house. Prop them up. Keep them from falling. From breaking.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will in time.”
Gares was a moderate who’d been deeply involved in magic research.
He’d even helped organize the New Continent expedition. Even as moderates fell and Pensilon collapsed, he never lost his passion for magic.
But founding Kalliper left him no choice. The researchers were dead or gone.
Gares was an administrator, not a researcher. He lacked the skills alone.
He’d sought talent for it, but failed and gave up.
‘A faint hope has finally appeared….’
Lizna Almain’s son had emerged like fate.
Like the moderates’ gamble with the expedition, Gares bet on Als.
Granting ops authority carried that intent.
If needed, spark a rebellion, swallow Kalliper, and build power.
A general with independent ops authority was that dangerous. Gares hoped Als would do just that.
He had a son to inherit the throne, but the boy wasn’t capable. Kalliper would fall to hegemony nations like Crossing, Byullang, or Svenner soon enough.
Better to entrust the nation’s fate to Als.
Hoping he’d unify the continent and put the finishing touch on their wish.